China Renews US Pork Plant Access

New Trade Boost for US Pork

China recently approved 23 U.S. pork processing plants and 83 poultry facilities for export, marking an important step forward in international trade cooperation between the two nations. This decision followed recent trade talks held between officials from Washington and Beijing, as both countries continue to engage on market access issues.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) have been working with China’s General Administration of Customs to renew the export registrations of meat and poultry facilities. These approvals apply to products processed after June 11 and will allow shipments to resume from the approved plants.

This development builds on the May trade agreement reached in Geneva, Switzerland. In 2020, China had granted export registrations for more than 1,000 U.S. meat facilities under the Phase 1 trade deal. However, many of these registrations expired in February and March 2025. Although China renewed over 300 pork plant registrations in mid-March, progress halted due to a tariff disagreement.

The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) called this approval a win for market stability and growth. The council stated that it has worked closely with USDA and USTR to gain renewed access to China’s market.

Why is this important? China remains a top buyer of U.S. pork products, especially offal, which brings higher value to American producers than in many other countries. In 2024, the U.S. exported over 475,000 metric tons of pork to China, worth more than $1.1 billion. About 55% of pork variety meat exports go to China.

This renewed approval ensures continued access for U.S. pork and poultry producers to one of the world’s largest and most valuable markets.